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Saturday, 24 October 2015

BookoutureXmas Guest Feature plus Giveaway

As you have probably gathered by now, I'm participating this week in the #BookoutureXmas feature.

Throughout the week, I shall be posting my reviews of the Christmas books out this year published by Bookouture.

Today though, I'm going to mix it up a little!

I love hearing how people spend their Christmas day, you'd think that we would all be doing the same considering its all on the same date, but behind every holy wreath decorated door, there are many different and individual traditions.

Growing up for me, Christmas was crazy! There were seven of us in my household (I lived with my mum and brother, plus my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins - hence the crazy!!) and we would start by opening our stockings as some ridiculous hour of the morning in our respective parents rooms before being told to go back to sleep for a little longer!!

After we would gather downstairs for mugs of hot chocolate and bacon sandwiches before opening our sacks of gifts from my mum.

We had one rule in our house and that was no diving in as it was my mums pet hate, so each year we took it in turns to start the gift unwrapping. Looking back now, I can see the benefits of this, it allowed us time to take in what we had opened and appreciate it whilst the others has their turn.

Once this one completed, and I kid you not, it would take us ALL morning, we then showered and dressed before a traditional Christmas dinner, it also gave us time to ring grandparents and my beloved Dad - tradition since his death is now an alcoholic drink rather than a phone call, he'd be so proud haha!

After dinner, we would then open gifts from other household members, which took up most of the afternoon.

Evenings were spent round close family friends playing silly games and having laughs a plenty.

When we arrived home again, we would jump into our PJs and watch a festive film if we could stay awake long enough.

Boxing day morning we would finish opening gifts from other family members such as grandparents and aunts and uncles, whilst the afternoons were filled with football matches if a home game, or chilling out with our new bits and bobs if away.

I'm delighted to have four lovely ladies by the names of Holly Martin, Sue Watson, Jenny Hale and Mandy Baggot, join me on the blog today to share how they spend their Christmas day...

"Christmas
Eve will be spent at a friend’s house, we'll eat all day, play silly games and
argue over the rules of our secret Santa competition which normally involves
some complicated method of selecting who gets to choose a mystery present
first, arguing over how many swaps we can do and who has bought the best
present. We'll wear silly jumpers and roast marshmallows on the fire, we even
stand around the piano and sing carols,badly. Christmas day is with my mom and
dad, we'll have bacon sandwiches for breakfast, open presents then have our
turkey lunch followed by playing games in the afternoon."

~ Holly Martin

"We will be baking the day before Christmas so that we can leave cookies and milk for Santa. We don't have a chimney, so we leave an enormous, iron key outside on Christmas Eve. This allows only Santa to enter our home while we're sleeping. In the morning--Dare I call it morning? It's usually four a.m.--the kids wake us up and we go downstairs to see Santa's loot. After, we eat breakfast and then unwrap the gifts from our family. Once the floor is covered in wrapping paper, boxes, and new things, we lounge around the house as a family and have a pretty lazy afternoon"

~ Jenny Hale

"I have no idea yet! Last year my mum and
step-dad came for a couple of nights and I did the turkey dinner! I'm hoping I
might get invited somewhere so I don't have to cook. I've cooked for the last
three years! I hope my mother-in-law is reading this... I'll help wash up!"
~ Mandy Baggot

"I
always spend Christmas eating … sometimes I stop eating to bake, then I eat
what I’ve baked and the cycle continues until New Year when I find myself
standing in a long queue at Weight watchers!

This
year we are spending Christmas in Manchester at my mum’s which I LOVE because
it feels like a holiday. Mum always
makes the house look and feel so Christmassy, you walk in to cinnamon warmth,
the tree glitters and the fairy lights twinkle – just arriving at Mum’s means
Christmas is here and I’m like a child again. The cupboards groan with extra special
Christmassy food and Mum makes thee most delicious Christmas dinner which I
enjoy all the more because I’m merely the sous chef and spend most of my time
drinking and talking while the dinner gets made.

As
a wife and mum who works from home I really appreciate staying somewhere
different and having someone else cook – and Mum’s a far better cook than I am
so I just know Christmas dinner will be fantastic as always. My mum is also a
great baker and makes the most amazing Christmas cakes and mince pies which I
enjoy throughout the season. So as I
stand in that Weight Watchers queue on a cold January morning in 2016 I can
always say it’s not my fault – it was Mum’s
wonderful cooking that did it!"

~ Sue Watson

I would like to thank Holly, Jenny, Mandy and Sue for taking the time to share their Christmas day's with us, and a huge thank you to Kim @ Bookouture for organising their responses.

I would LOVE to know how you spend your Christmas ~ why not comment below and let me know?